Ajit Pawar objecting to Yogi's 'batenge' remark shows there is no unity in Mahayuti, says Uddhav Thackeray

Uddhav Thackeray. File Pic

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar's disapproval of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath's 'batenge to katenge' remark shows there was no unity in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, reported the PTI.

CM Yogi Adityanath has been raising 'batenge to katenge' slogan at his election rallies in state ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024.

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Talking about it, BJP ally and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Thursday said the people of the state do not appreciate such remarks, and that the people of the state have always strived to maintain communal harmony.

Addressing a poll rally in Maharashtra's Buldhana, Uddhav Thackeray said, "Ajit Pawar's disapproval of Yogi's remark shows there is no unity in the ruling Mahayuti alliance. In this scenario, Maharashtra does not need to learn any lesson from the UP chief minister."

The ruling Mahayuti alliance comprises the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP.

Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at the BJP stating that it has to bring leaders from outside the state to campaign ahead of the Maharashtra polls.

"The Maharashtra assembly election 2024 is a contest between those who love Maharashtra and those who betray it," he said, dubbing the Mahayuti allies as betrayers of the state.

"The Mahayuti government is the most corrupt in Maharashtra's history. They indulged in corruption in building the statue (of Shivaji Maharaj). Work done with inauspicious hands does not see any success and the statue collapsed," Uddhav Thackeray said.

The statue of Shivaji Maharaj was unveiled last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Uddhav Thackeray also announced that if the MVA is voted to power in the state, its government will build the temples of Shivaji Maharaj in every district.

"The temples will highlight the teachings of Shivaji Maharaj on how to govern and respect women," the former chief minister said, adding that he will also build the Maratha warrior king's temple at Surat in Gujarat.

"Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cannot tolerate 'Shivaji Maharaj ki jai' slogan. He (Fadnavis) said you build a temple in Mumbra (a Muslim dominated locality in Thane) first. Do you find it difficult to build Chhatrapati Shivaji's temple in the home district of CM (Shinde)? They think Shivaji Maharaj is a vote-getting machine," Uddhav Thackeray alleged, as per the PTI.

The former Maharashtra chief minister asked how Ajit Pawar sits next to Devendra Fadnavis, whose party had arrested NCP leader Nawab Malik and linked him to terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.

Nawab Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2022 in a money laundering case. He was later released on bail. He is also the NCP candidate from Mankhurd Shivajinagar.

Uddhav Thackeray also accused the BJP of launching an attack on his party with the help of "dacoits", apparently referring to the MLAs who rebelled against his party and sided with CM Eknath Shinde.

"The Shiv Sena stood with the BJP in its tough times. Had Shiv Sena not been there, Modi would not have been the prime minister and Fadnavis would not have been the CM," he said.

Vidarbha gave maximum MPs to the BJP from 2014 and 2019. But how many people from Vidarbha got jobs in the last 10 years, Thackeray asked.

He claimed that the wind was blowing in favour of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra.

(with PTI inputs)